Two Sides of the Same Coin
by MOFOSTAN
Summary: The Vietnam War strings along the youth of the nation. Two sides are aligned between the entire country. The four boys split in half with their opinions and stances in the war. Will they stay united or grow apart? - There is hetero and homo romance here as well - Rated M for Gore, Sex, Violence, and Drugs
1. High School

**Summary:** The story starts around the year of 1965 and ends around 1975. That's a little less than the time span of the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War (1961-1975). The four boys split in half with their opinions and stances in the war. Will they stay united or grow apart?

**Author's Notes:** This story was inspired by a WW2 war fan fiction of South Park and "Across the Universe", a great and wonderful but biased movie. Hey, at least it had the fucking Beatles painted beautifully everywhere in the form of an epic musical. Now, I'm going to try and be the least biased I can be. This is going to be hard, but I'll manage. So our four boys are split in half. One half goes to Vietnam, the other half goes to the 'Summer of Love' (basically hippie kingdom – bet you all know a certain fat ass that's not going to the 'Summer of Love'). It will have both sides of the argument; both sides having very conclusive and valid points, and both sides having very narrow minded and imposing opinions. The story focusses on whether the four boys are still united or apart with their ideals and experiences in the aftermath of Vietnam. Now, mind you, the beginning is rather light and it gradually gets darker and darker with both sides, to the point where everything for the boys changes. There will be homosexual AND heterosexual romances, but it will most likely focus on friendship and the actual meaning behind it all. It will include politics and social issues. It will have gore and violence and it will have sex and drugs. The Vietnam War was not pretty folks, on both sides. Personally, I think both sides had good points yet they were closed-minded and unfair as fuck. So here's the story. Hope you guys enjoy it!

**Chapter One: High School**

Kyle Broflovski smiled towards his group of friends as he approached them with his lunch. They waved back, except for Eric Cartman, his sworn enemy. He sat down next to his best friend, Stan Marsh, and his other good friend, Kenny McCormick. That was their small group. They all had various other friends, but these four were really something. They were stuck together like Elmer's glue since they were in diapers, and no one or nothing could tear them apart. They were all planning to move to one place together, since they were in elementary, and go to college there. They knew, since the moment they all agreed to be friends, that they would be together throughout their adulthoods. Of course, they weren't co-dependent with each other, but they all knew that they were friends for life.

"Hey, boys. Look, I have some bitchin' news." Kyle said as he sat down.

"Kahl, your idea of 'bitchin'' news are new calculus books being shipped in the school." Eric said taking a large bite out of his mystery meatloaf. He was a rather corpulent fellow.

Kenny and Stan laughed at the joke their fat 'friend' made. "Haha, so fucking funny." Kyle said, sarcasm dripping from his tone. "If you don't want to hear it, then go away, fatso." Kyle sneered.

"Ay! I'm not fat, Jew! I just have a sweet hockey body!" Eric retorted.

"Come on, Ky. Don't be a candyass." Kenny began. "Tell us your news."

Kyle rolled his eyes. "My teacher dropped out and quit. She said she wanted to be spiritual or something. She told us, before she left, 'Fuck the system!' and she just up and went."

"Wow, that's weird." Stan said, not really interested.

"That's not the big part. She ran away with a student!" Kyle announced.

The three of them were suddenly engorged in what he had to say next.

"When she said that, that fellow Tucker stood up, gave us all the bird and left with her." He said at last.

"Holy shit! That sucks!" Kenny said disappointed. The three of them took a double take at him, expecting him to be enthralled by the news, since he was in fact the 'wild one' in the group. "Craig's my drinking pal!" The three snickered and/or rolled their eyes at him.

"I bet they went to Hippie Kingdom." Cartman said.

"You mean California? There's not even that many flower kids there, ya know?" Kenny said.

"Not yet. I can feel it though. I swear by next year that there will be a horde of them. God, I hate hippies." Cartman growled.

"Shut the fuck up, fat ass. No one wants to hear about your opinions. Hippies aren't that bad. They are actually pretty cool." Stan said.

"Of course you would think that, with your damn liberal ideals and shit." Cartman sneered.

"Golly, would you shut the fuck up! I feel like Stan's takin' my place." Kyle laughed.

"Come on, Ky. You agree." Stan said.

"Honestly, I don't give a damn either way." Kyle began. "I'm not that into politics. It's a dirty field for everyone and I won't stand a second of it. So fuck you both, I'm Switzerland."

"I'm joining Kyle's neutral team." Kenny spoke out.

That was the pinpoint of the whole charades. The split was already beginning to form. Everyone hated Johnson for getting the nation involved in the affairs of Vietnam, but with the fear of the 'Domino Effect' what regular American citizen could blame him? For now that is. Communism flourishes when it spreads, and we, as a nation, did not like the idea of it spreading. We had good intentions, to help the South Vietnamese not fall into it, but many could say we went about it all wrong. Stan thought the draft was a mistake. He generally wasn't into politics as well, for the same reasons Kyle stated, but no one seemed surprised he got into the whole hippie wagon and took a drive through the psychedelic scene. He was even starting to dress like one. He thought it was the right thing to do, and the fact that his girlfriend not only didn't mind but was taking the shotgun seat in the hippie wagon was something Stan loved. Cartman, however, was for the war and for the draft and for everything the government implicated to stop those damn commies. No one seemed surprised he advocated the path down the 'white spangle banner' with a glare and the whole conservative scene. He preached the draft, but no one ever expected him to step up to prove those words. Absolutely no one. He was a coward and a manipulative bastard, so why would he step up to his word. Of course, he wasn't the poster child for Republicans, and neither was Stan. There are many types of people that advocate the same shit, and not all Republicans were as much as a bastard as Cartman, and not all Democrats were as caring as Stan. It was a double-edge sword for the nation, and the youth of America was caught in between it taking all the hits. It was a matter of pride and freedom for both sides of the baby boomers. It was a matter of beliefs. Still, the beauty of this nation is that one can have differing opinions. Unfortunately, one could say both sides imposed a bit too much on each other. It was a matter of competition, and whose side was right.

As the four boys walked out of school, they turned to see a protest rally ran by Stan's girlfriend.

"Aren't you going to protest?" Kyle asked him.

"I was going to, but I have a check-up today. What a drag. I hate my doctor anyways." Stan sighed.

"I've met that hag. Creepy as fuck." Kenny commented. All the boys nodded with expressions of disdain, all having met Stan's doctor. The town was small, so everyone knew each other well.

"So I thought the three of us should head on over to the skating rink. I hear Bebe Stevens is going to be there." Kenny winked at Kyle.

Kyle groaned in reluctance. "She's been pursuing me for a while now."

"Gawd, Kahl! Even I have to admit Steven's a choice babe. What the fuck is your deal?" Cartman nudged Kyle's shoulder.

"I just like girls with more… substance, ya know?" He said in his defense.

"Like who?" Kenny asked.

"Like… like Rebecca. She's a cute one." Kyle beamed.

"Nerd for a nerd." Cartman gagged.

"Seriously? She gives me the chills." Stan said shivering for affect.

Kyle pushed Stan's shoulder. "Good God, Stan. Just shut up, she's better than Bebe for all I know. When you talk to her, you actually see lights in there."

They all laughed. "True. Bebe isn't the brightest tool in the shed." Stan agreed.

"God knows _that_ much." Cartman laughed.

"Still, she's good for a lay." Kenny smirked.

"Ew." Kyle remarked. "Like I'd put my hands on _that_ thing. Who knows if she carries malaria?"

Kenny laughed. "That was mean, even for us."

"I take it I'm rubbing off on the Jew?" Cartman teased.

"Oh God. Please don't even joke about that. That's one unholy nightmare." Kyle said.

They hung out at the old skating ring for a while, excluding Stan who was having a miserable time at the doctor's office, and it was spent with Kenny trying to hook up with Bebe Stevens, along with Kyle and Cartman fighting about every little thing. That was the jest of their relationship. Kyle and Cartman would argue about everything since they met. They actually first met in preschool while arguing for the last crayon box. Sometimes, they would break out on fist fights, which was actually quite common between them. Still, they would start talking normally just minutes afterwards. It was remarkably strange.

When they went home, each boy sat on their beds and sighed contently. Their lives were simple and sweet, whether they took note of that or not. Sure, Cartman didn't have a dad, and his mother was promiscuous, but he had a home and food on his table, and he had a mother who still cared for him and did what she could to take care of him and his every whim. Sure, Kenny was dirt poor, and his parents were shooting heroine and smoking weed while they were pissed drunk and arguing, but in actuality, the family still cared deeply for each other. His parents still took care of their children and tried to provide as much as they could for them. He also had a deep bond with his younger sister, Karen, who he cared profoundly for. Kyle had an oppressive mother with a too-busy-for-his-children father, but they still provided for him and his mother had good intentions of caring for him. His brother was not only a genius, but the most important person to him. For Stan, his father was embarrassingly inappropriate, and his older sister bullied and blackmailed him, but his mother was sweet, and although his dad was a bit of a retard, he still did what he did to try his best (in his own special way) to raise his children. They had the sweet life. They had young, carefree, and happy lives.

They had simple lives, but that was until high school finally ended. That's when responsibility and reality hit them like a ton of steel coated bricks going at five hundred miles per hour straight to their face.


	2. Assisted Suicide

**Summary:** The story starts around the year of 1965 and ends around 1975. That's a little less than the time span of the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War (1961-1975). The four boys split in half with their opinions and stances in the war. Will they stay united or grow apart?

**Author's Notes:** This story was inspired by a WW2 war fan fiction of South Park and "Across the Universe", a great and wonderful but biased movie. Hey, at least it had the fucking Beatles painted beautifully everywhere in the form of an epic musical.

Okay, so high school is over for the boys and it's time to start preparing the fan for the shit to hit. You can already tell two of the people that are placed on the two sides for now. Now all that's left is to determine where team Switzerland lands. That means either Kyle or Kenny ends up going to war while the other stays and gets high on LSD. Now don't be surprised who it is going to be. Remember Kyle hates Cartman and Kenny can't die anyways, but Kenny likes getting high and drinking while Kyle is one badass Jew. Also, I'm going to separate points of view into different phases and perceptions. Kyle is obviously the innocence and simplicity of the war, meaning it's naïve point of view and the transition between the average American life with a picket fence and young love to the harsh slap of reality. He's going to be the majority of the first few chapters. Then it's going to be Stan, the typical hippie, the 'Summer of Love'. Basically, drugs, LSD trips, sex, and walking barefoot on the streets of California galore! Cartman's next. He's the war itself. He's the gritty gore and blood and horror around. Him and either Kenny or Kyle will be going to war and they will be experiencing a whole lot of shit, mostly from Cartman's perception. Kenny's last. He's the aftermath of everything. He's the wiser man and the wiser soul, the one that learns from both sides and is the youth that is scarred forever.

Remember this is the 60s and the slang is going to mirror that decade. So if you don't get a word or phrase, just try and keep up.

**Chapter One: Assisted Suicide**

Two years had passed and it was now 1967. Cartman stomped to the top of his stairs irritated and anxious. He ended up creating another dimension of chaos in his room looking for his cap to wear with his gown for graduation.

"God dammit!" He muttered under his breathe. "Where the heck is that thing?"

He suddenly heard his mother arrive home from work. He trudged downstairs nearly trampling her. "MAAAHHMM!" He screamed desperately down the way.

"Aw, what's wrong with my little poopsikins?" She said as she took off her coat.

"WHERE THE FUCK IS MY CAP FOR GRADUATION!" He yelled, green in the face with anxiety. He felt sick to his damn stomach. Graduating is a scary thing for an adolescent. Senior year is basically one foot in adulthood and one foot in childhood. It's the door between simplicity and reality. Cartman wasn't quite ready for reality. Well, neither are most that age.

"Oh, don't worry, hon. I have it in the storage box in my room." She cooed.

"GOD DAMMIT, MAHM! WHY DO YOU RUIN EVERYTHING! YOU'RE ALWAYS TRYING TO BRING ME DOWN!" He yelled, throwing an expected tantrum. His mother smiled normally as her little boy ran and almost stumbled up the stairs. She sighed happily as she calmly walked up the stairs following him behind.

"We have an hour to get there. It's only a twenty minute ride, poopsi." She said delightfully.

"YOU'RE ACTING LIKE IT'S A FUCKING LIFETIME! WHERE THE FUCK HAVE YOU BEEN! YOU WERE SUPPOSE TO BE HOME AN HOUR AGO!" He yelled, destroying the poor contents of her closet while she lovingly looked down at him, not minding one bit.

"Sorry poopsi, but I had to finish up with a 'client'." She said.

He shuddered. "Ew…" He looked back at her. "WELL, WHAT ARE YOU STILL DOING THERE STANDING! MOVE IT, MAHM! I NEED TO GO TO THE FUCKING CEROMONY!" He yelled.

"Alright, hon." She smiled as she went to collect her clothes and slipped in the bathroom for a quick shower.

He growled in irritation at her leisure pace. When he finally found the hat he called up his best friend, Kenny McCormick on the house phone.

"'Ello?" Answered Kenny. Thankfully, Kenny had enough money in his family to get a house phone.

"MY MOM IS STILL IN THE FUCKING SHOWER!" Cartman yelled.

"Calm down, big boy. I haven't even gone yet. Hence, why I'm talking to you in the house." Kenny said.

"UGH!" Cartman vented. Kenny knew he was nervous, and honestly, he was too. Kenny knew Eric was just venting to him with this call.

"Easy, Man. Just take a chill pill and repeat after me, 'Everything is copasetic.'" Kenny began, trying to sooth Eric's nerves.

"BUT EVERYTHING ISN'T!" Cartman said, grinding his teeth.

"Say it." Kenny said in a serious tone.

Cartman sighed. "Everything is copasetic. You happy?"

"Yea, 'cause I got you to stop yelling." He said with a cocky smirk.

Cartman rolled his eyes as he heard his mother open the bathroom door. "Thanks. Hey, I'm gonna head on out; I think my mom just got out of the shower."

"Sure thing, kid. I'll see you there." Kenny said before hanging up. Kenny sighed and laughed softly at Eric's shenanigans.

Minutes later at the graduation, the four boys were reunited under one roof, waiting for the ceremony to start. Their parents were at the seats and they were near the doors talking before it started.

"You should've heard the fat ass this morning. He was yelling like a lunatic." Kenny laughed.

"God dammit, Ken. That's why I can't tell you anything." Eric glared at him.

"You're such a dip stick, Cartman." Stan laughed.

"Up yours, Hippie." Cartman growled.

"Hey guys, sorry. Had to talk to my bro." Kyle said as he approached them. He had to leave them to convince his brother to stop trying to make conversation with high school students.

"Sure, it's fine, Ky." Stan smiled at him, and Kyle smiled back.

"You're brother's such a fink." Cartman said.

"Up your fat ass, tubby." Kyle sneered at him.

"Ay! I'm not fat, Jew! I'm big boned!" He growled.

"Don't start this now. God, you two are an ear full." Kenny rolled his eyes.

"I wanna bug out. This is fucking boring." Stan groaned.

"Guys, I'm sorry to interrupt your 'interesting' conversation, but look at that babe right there. Ever seen her before?" Kenny asked.

They all looked and say a girl with curly, neat brown hair and a green dress to her knees. She was pretty, but her face was covered by the graduation pamphlet. Kyle recognized her immediately.

"Her bod's outta sight." Kenny said with a smile. Kyle nudged him hard on his side with his elbow. "Ow! What the fuck, Kyle!"

"That's Rebecca you're talking about!" He hissed at Kenny.

Kenny did a double take. "Holy shit! No, way!"

"What the fuck happened to her!" Stan said, equally as shocked.

"I told you she was a looker." Kyle said smugly. "Her brother looks preoccupied at the far corner there; I'm going to take advantage of the situation." Mark, Rebecca's brother, wasn't particularly fond of Kyle. Mark knew Kyle had a thing for her, much to her ignorance of the situation. As her brother, he was protective of her and suspicious of Kyle.

Kenny whistled. "Go get her, you dog!"

"He's going to fail miserably." Cartman snickered.

"Get lost, fatso." Stan glared at him.

"What? Jews can't flirt." Cartman defended himself.

As Kyle walked up to Rebecca and waved at her. "Hey. You excited to graduate?"

She looked up from the pamphlet and blushed at the sight of him. "Y-yeah. I'll have to seek out a place in college, though." She said. "Have you been accepted to any yet?"

This was an uncomfortable conversation for Kyle. He didn't want to admit that he didn't get accepted to the college he'd apply for. His grades wasn't the problem (he was the top in his class… top third in his entire school), it was the admission test he took. He had the flu when he took the test and he failed. He hasn't told his parents yet, neither has he told his friends. "Still waiting for the results. I figure I got in though, I feel confident about the admissions test." He lied.

"Oh, that's s-swell. I got into Bedford." She smiled.

Kyle looked stunned. "Wow… London. That's really far." He was honestly surprised. She was homeschooled till about high school, and it's shocking to hear that she would be willing to go out of the country for college.

"Um, hey… I was wondering if you'd like to go to the diner and get something to eat with me before you go, you know like friends having a good time." He said sheepishly.

She blushed slightly. "O-oh. That should be alright… I m-mean, I would need to ask my father though."

"If you seem to have trouble doing so, I could convince him. Or at least try." He smiled.

"S-sure. That would be n-nice." She smiled sheepishly. They both smiled at each other sheepishly with deep blushes set on each other's cheeks.

Kyle saw from his peripheral vision Mark coming towards them with a glare set in his eyes. Kyle chickened out. "Just give me a ring anytime you want. You know my number from that science project we had! Hope to hear from you soon!" He said quickly as he nearly jogged back to his group of friends.

He came back to the sounds of Cartman laughing his ass off at him.

"Just shut the fuck up, fat ass!" Kyle growled.

"Dear Lord that was the funniest shit I've seen. You came running with your tail between your legs when Mark started to walk there." Cartman laughed.

"I could knock you square in the face, tubby!" Kyle growled at him.

"Calm down, boys. It looks like the show's about to start." Kenny said smoothly as everyone began to start taking their seats. The graduation ceremony began.

"Well, did you get it?" Stan asked Kyle as they walked to their seats, their family's right next to each other.

"I hope so. She said she'd have to ask her dad." Kyle told him.

"I hope he says yes. You've liked her for over a year now, and it looks like she digs you too." Stan smiled. Rebecca was behind them and was hearing everything, but they didn't know.

"You think?" Kyle beamed. "She's really cute. Though she's going to Bradford. That's a drag."

"Where's that?" Stan asked.

"London." Kyle sighed. "I really liked her too." Rebecca blushed at the remark. Mark was too busy talking with his mother to hear anything the two boys were saying. Also were the two boy's families.

"So you gonna bang her or just hang with her if her old man says yes?" Stan asked.

"I just want to hang. I don't think she's that kind of girl." Kyle remarked.

"But if you had a choice and she was up for it, what would you do?" Stan asked.

"I admit the offer is tempting, and like they say, 'you only live once', but… I don't know… I kind of hoped to go steady with her senior year if she said yes. Thing is, Mark's always around, and I don't want to mess with him." Kyle pouted thinking of all the times Mark interfered with him trying to ask her out.

"Looks like you got it bad. It's okay. Us guys who're in love gotta stick together." He laughed. Rebecca felt butterflies in her stomach.

"How about you? You've gone fare with Wends?" Kyle asked.

"No, just making out. She wants to wait until she graduates." Stan smirked.

"So tonight's your night, huh?" Kyle asked, nudging his super best friend playfully.

"Yep! I'm taking her to the hill near the woods in my car." Stan said anxiously excited.

Kyle laughed. "Ah, young love. I wonder if it's going to be like this scene when we get out of this hick town."

"Probably. I mean, no one really changes right?" Stan said.

"I don't know about that. Oh shit, look. They're calling names already." He said, pointing to the podium.

"This is going to be groovy, graduating and flying the nest. Everything's going to be swell, huh, Kyle." Stan asked him.

"I hope so…" Kyle said rather sadly, having a bad feeling in his stomach for the last few days. His friend didn't take notice though, and was preoccupied with nervous anxiety for tonight, his first time.

After the ceremony and while everyone was leaving, Kyle and Rebecca glanced at each other again. Rebecca smiled at him and waved, much to her brother's discomfort. Kyle smiled and waved back. Both of them felt a warm fuzz inside their chests, swelling up and leaving their hearts pounding softly. Stan went along with Wendy and offered to her parents to take her to eat and bring her back. Her parents agreed, completely innocent and oblivious to their young and wild attempts. He drove her away, excited and terribly nervous for the night. Kenny decided to spend the night and weekend with his little sister before trying to figure out what the fuck he was going to do with his life. Eric told his mother some alarming news when they arrived home, and it was alarming news that would change his life forever and send her into a spiral of depression. Alarming news he was determined to go on with, no matter how much she would beg him not to. It looks like he wasn't as much of a coward as everyone assumed him to be.

It was the weekend and Kyle finally got a call from Rebecca.

"H-hi." She said in a vaguely audible voice.

"Who the fuck is this?" Ike, Kyle's little brother, answered uninterested.

"Ah! Um… I'm Rebecca… is K-Kyle there?" She asked, rather scared.

Ike smiled and peered over at his brother reading a book in the couch. "OH! Rebecca!" He said unnecessarily loud for Kyle to hear. Kyle's ears perked up and his head turned to Ike in alarm. "Before I hand the phone to him, do you want to hear a few stories about Kyle. I'm sure you'll find them very interesting!"

"GOD DAMMIT, YOU LITTLE TWERP!" Rebecca heard Kyle scream in the background.

"When Kyle was in 8th grade, he actually wet his pa-" Ike began before the phone was taken from him by Kyle.

"H-hey! Sorry about my little brother, he's a pathological liar. You shouldn't believe anything he says." Kyle began, shoving Ike away from the phone, Ike shoving him back. Kyle mouthed the words, 'Go away!' to Ike, and Ike blew a raspberry at him and ran up the stairs.

"Oh… so you didn't wet your pants in 8th grade?" She asked innocently.

"_**NO!**_ No no no no no! He's a liar. As I said. Don't believe_ anything_ he says. He lies!" Kyle laughed nervously.

"Oh." She said naively, actually truly believing that Ike was a pathological liar. "So, my f-father said it would be alright to go with you, but I'd have to be h-home by seven."

"S-seriously?" He said with an idiot grin plastered on his face. He didn't expect her father to agree so suddenly.

"I just have to b-bring my brother." She said rather apologetic and disappointed.

Kyle felt like banging his head against a wall. He'd never get to kiss her at this rate. That's all he wanted to do at the date. Perhaps try and kiss her if she'd let him. He promised himself that if he kissed her then he would happily watch her off to London and go about his life in content. It didn't even have to be a long kiss, just a peck… that's all he wanted… and now it was near impossible with her brother tagging along.

"Oh…" Was all he could say.

"S-sorry!" She said, almost expecting him to turn her down just because of it.

"No, no… it's fine. I mean, at least I get to hang out with you." He said, regretting immediately what he said right afterwards. He didn't want to give her the impression that he liked her just yet, what if she didn't think of him that way? Ah, young love.

She blushed and squeezed her eyes tight and shut, letting his words repeat in her head and letting them form butterflies in her stomach.

"I could try and, um, talk my brother into leaving us alone…" She suggested.

He blushed. "Um, are you sure? Won't your brother be suspicious?" Kyle asked, again regretting what he was implying.

She smiled sweetly at hearing that, because she knew what his intentions were from the graduation ceremony. She knew that he respected her and was a decent guy. "I trust you." She said.

His entire face bloomed red. "S-so… you're not bothered with… um…" He had to be brave, she seemed like she was getting the message clear enough. "… me referring to… this as a… um…"

"A date? I'm fine with that. I-if that's alright with you, of course…" She said sheepishly.

"Um… give me a second…" Kyle said. He put the phone down and did a fist pump in the air. God, was he fucking stoked. "Ha, um… righteous." Was all he could say.

She giggled a bit and said, "So, what time will you p-pick me up?"

"Is five or four okay with you?" He asked.

"F-four is fine." She said.

"Good… that's good. Four it is…" He laughed, completely in cloud nine.

"S-see you tomorrow." She smiled as she said so.

"See you tomorrow." He smiled as well.

They both hung up.

Later on that day the three friends traveled to Eric Cartman's house.

"You wouldn't believe it; she fucking said she wouldn't mind for it to be a date. God, this is the best day of my life." Kyle said with a wide smile.

"Congratulations! Now, to find a way to wipe the over protective brother out of the picture." Kenny contemplated.

Stan laughed. "This is awesome, Ky."

"Hey, so anyways, what are you going to do now that we're legal and free?" Kyle asked him.

"I'm going to California." Stan said.

"Cali? Is it that fucking hippie fest?" Kyle asked.

Stan laughed. "Yep! The Summer of Love. Complete and utter freedom. Her folks are letting us travel across the country now that we're adults and graduated. Only for a bit though, you know, before college."

"That's pretty cool. I should join you. But I'm not doing any drugs or sex." Kyle said.

"Sure, sure." He turned to Kenny. "You wanna come with?"

"Maybe we could distract him while you two ditched out." Kenny said, still in the moon.

"That's… not such a bad idea…" Kyle laughed, knowing he was referring to him and Rebecca.

"I know right!" Kenny turned to Stan. "What were you saying?"

"I said we should go to Cali." Stan answered. "I mean, think about all the sex, drugs, and booze you can get your hands in. You don't need money, man." He laughed.

"Sounds inviting… I might give it a swing, but my baby sister… I promised I would stay with her for at least a week for two."

"Then we'll go in a week or two." Stan laughed.

"Then you got yourself a fucking deal!" Kenny smiled.

They started to approach Cartman's house.

"Now all we gotta do is convince the conservative fat ass to join." Stan laughed.

"Dude, like he'll go." Kyle said. "He fucking hates hippies."

"Yeah, but it wouldn't be the same without ripping on the sonovabitch." Kenny laughed.

"We could try, but I'm getting tired of arguing with him." Kyle laughed.

They knocked on his door.

"Hey, fat ass." The three said in unison.

"What's happening, dip shits?" Cartman smirked.

The three of them gave him the bird and stepped in. Liane came down the stairs, her eyes blotched with mascara and swollen with patches of red marks. She had been crying. She had been crying really hard. The three boys stared awkwardly at her. She seemed embarrassed; not knowing her son's friends would be downstairs.

"Oh! Sorry boys. I should fix you boys something. Excuse my eyes; I was watching a horribly sad soap opera. The main character died, leaving his wife all alone. Now her youngest son has cancer." She lied. Apparently lying convincing lies ran in the family.

"Oh!" The boys sighed in relief. Cartman knew why she had been crying all weekend. He pretended like he didn't care, and he didn't lift a finger to help her, but he worried. He did worry. He usually was unsympathetic to everyone, but not only was he worried about his mother, but mostly about himself. He was terrified, but it was easier to mask it with devious acts and crude humor than to confront it. He let her be as she clamored in the kitchen trying to whip something up. He noticed her fingers shaking as she picked up the bowl. He knew she just had to cry it out and he had to let her be. She would be embarrassed if his friends knew she was troubled.

"Don't worry, mahm. Kyle and Stan here get emotional over silly little soap operas too." Cartman joked.

She smiled sadly and laughed nervously along.

"You're a fucking dick, you know!" Stan growled; secretly mad because he did get emotional over silly little soap operas.

Kyle however, didn't and was offended by the mere mention of his name. "I don't fucking even watch that shit!"

"Yeah, right, Jew." Cartman said as they all trudged up the stairs. He glanced shortly at his mother before going up all the way. He sighed and opens his bedroom door.

They had been talking for a while, looking up comic books and making prank calls.

"What are we eight!" Kenny screamed in frustration!

"It's practically our last summer of kids. Don't sweat it, Ken. Just loose up and read the damn comic." Kyle rolled his eyes.

"So what happened with Mr. and Mrs. Nerd?" Cartman asked Kyle.

Kyle blushed and smiled. "I have an official date."

"Figures. Ya know, the same people belong together. Nerd and nerd. It only makes sense. Ah, if only she was a Jew too. Or maybe if you were normal." Cartman reasoned.

"Stop it with that theory, fat ass. You're a fucking racists, intolerant, prick, you know." Stan rolled his eyes.

"What a fucking news flash." Cartman said sarcastically.

"So anyways, wanna come to California with us?" Kenny asked Eric. "All three of us are going, ya know."

"To the 'Summer of Love'? Hell no! I'd rather slit my throat and paper grind my ass." Cartman sneered.

"Come on, Cartman. You don't have to drink nor do drugs, just fucking come with us. I'm not doing any of those things." Kyle said, growing tired of this scene.

Cartmna sighed. "It's funny, I would have given in by this point… but I can't go."

"Why not. You're not getting out of this one with that act. You're going, whether you like it or not!" Stan laughed.

"I can't even if you tried. I seriously cannot go." Cartman said.

"Why not?" Kyle asked.

He sighed again. "Depends… when are you going?"

The three beamed up with devious smiles. "Come on, fatso. Don't tell us you have shit to do. College doesn't start till fall." Stan laughed.

"Just tell me when the fuck you're going, huh, wise ass." Cartman glared at him, not really in the mood for any of this.

The three took note of that. "Um… in a week." Kenny said.

Cartman thought long and hard about it. "I guess I have a week."

"A fucking week!" Stan asked suspicious. "What the fuck do you have to do in two weeks?"

"Up yours, flower child." Cartman said uninterested.

"Jeesh. What the fuck crawled up your fat ass and died?" Kyle said with a look of disdain.

Meanwhile, Kenny had been looking outside the window. He had seen Liane come out of the house almost disoriented. She was walking to the car they had and she collapsed on the hood and started to sob, forgetting to open the door.

"Eric…" They all looked at Kenny, surprised he would use his first name. No one used his first name unless deadly serious. "What's wrong with your mom? I think she needs help."

They all squished each other to look out of the window. They all saw her struggling to open the door, but she was sobbing too much to function well enough to do so.

Cartman sighed sadly. "Third fucking time today…" He said. "Don't worry. She'll get frustrated at trying to open the door and she'll come back inside. Just give her some time."

"Holy shit. I've never seen someone cry that hard." Kyle said in a worried awe.

"Should we do something?" Stan asked.

"Nah. She'll start flailing and make more noise." Eric said.

"How long has this been happening?" Kenny asked, looking at Eric.

"Since graduation." He didn't want to admit anything, but he didn't even care at the moment.

"How come?" Kyle asked, looking at him too.

Eric sighed and sat down on his desk chair. "I volunteered." He said vaguely.

"At the hospital? At the shelter? Blood donation? Organ donation? What the fuck? Be clear for once in your fat life." Stan said, his insults unmasking his worry.

"For the war. I'm leaving in three weeks for training." He said simply, crossing his arms and leaning back on his chair.

The three of them stared at him for quite some time. They were shocked and almost horrified.

"What kind of a retard are you?" Stan asked.

"Why would you _volunteer_ for the war?" Kyle asked.

"I told you I was going to, didn't I? I told you I was for the war and for the cause. I'm going to the war and kicking commie ass." Cartman said seriously staring back at his friends, almost like daring them to say something.

"You're going to get yourself killed. You can't even beat me in a fight, how do you expect to beat a hundred men coming at you!" Kyle said, losing his patience.

"I'd have a gun and a grenade, and some large rocks to shield me. I'll manage." He said.

"You don't even know how to fucking shoot!" Kenny yelled angrily. "How dare you put your mother through this!"

"That's why they fucking train me before I go! Plus, I _want_ to go through this! This has to do with my fucking beliefs." He said. "I don't expect any of you to understand my reasoning."

"What if you fucking die?" Kyle said almost pleading him to snap out of it.

"Then I die." Cartman said simply. "You think I want to die?"

"Yes! Signing up for that shit is assisted suicide!" Stan yelled.

"Well, I DON'T!" Eric roared. "You don't think I'm fucking shitting my pants and waking up in sweats! You think I want to die!"

"Then why the fuck!" Kenny shouted.

"Because I believe in this shit! I'm not trying to be a god damn hero! I'm not trying to fucking prove myself or some shit. I'm doing this because_ I_ think it's the right thing to do. And _when_ I come back…" His face had a flash of doubt as he said that last bit. "I'm going to fucking college to study business."

"_If_… Eric… if." Kyle reminded him softly. "That's the problem. It's not just skill out there. It's luck too."

"Well… I'll just have to develop the skill of luck." Eric said, sitting down and still committed.

"You're still a fucking idiot." Kenny said running his fingers through his hair.

"As I said. I don't expect any of you to understand." He concluded. "But, we shouldn't dwell in this shit."

"We all see the shit in TV…" Stan said looking almost accusingly at Cartman.

"Yeah, and we do." He said, almost challenging Stan. Stan left it there and he took off and left angrily.

Later on the next day, it was time for Kyle's date with Rebecca. He was still a little fazed by the sudden announcement Cartman made yesterday. He couldn't believe Eric Cartman had the guts to volunteer for war. He didn't know whether to kick him square in the nuts for being so retarded or shake his hand out of respect. Still… what Stan said was true. They all saw the war on TV… they all knew what those soldiers did… killing women and children on the battlefield and even how the people resisted them. He hated Cartman, but he didn't want him to die… He really didn't want him to die.

It was almost four and by then he was ready. He opened the door and waved goodbye to his mother in the kitchen. He was still jolted by the news. He seriously couldn't understand. He tried and tried to think of different angles of how one would actually believe in this war and want to volunteer for it… he didn't know why. He could never guess why.

When he arrived at her house, she opened the door. She smiled, and literally all of Kyle's distraught slipped away as soon as he laid his eyes on her.

"H-hello." She said sheepishly.

"Hey. Um… should we go or should I go in?" Kyle asked her.

"I think we should just go… b-but I need to wait for my b-brother." She said.

"Sure… sure…" He waited awkwardly for a while. "So how's everything?"

"G-good! I mean… I bought a new book…" She said.

"Oh? What book?" He asked.

"The Great Gatsby." She said. "It's good so far…"

"I read that one… what part are you on?" He said, trying to keep up conversation.

"Oh… um… on the part where Wolfshiem appears." She said.

"He's my favorite character." Kyle said. Honestly, he expected Cartman to pop out of nowhere and chime in saying, "Of course he'd be your favorite character. He's a fucking Jew like you!" That thought just reminded him of Cartman's decision. He visibly slumped.

"I-Is everything alright?" She asked, looking concern.

"Ah... um… not really. A friend of mine… he decided to-" He was interrupted by Mark down from the stairs and to the door.

"Sorry I took long, Becky." He kissed his sister's forehead and turned to glare at Kyle. "Broflovski."

"Um… hey. Long time no see and all." He tried to be polite, but Mark went forward and bumped into Kyle's shoulder on purpose.

"What diner are we going to?" He began.

Kyle honestly wanted to punch the bastard in the face, but he liked Rebecca way too much to risk it. "The new one that opened. _Charlie's Shakes_." It was a diner that served burgers, ice cream, hot dogs, and banana splits. Despite that, it's most famous and special serving were its delectable milkshakes. Hence the name.

"Oh… I h-heard of that one." Rebecca said as she walked and stood by Kyle's side. Mark scowled slightly and took his sister by the hand. He pulled her in and started to walk near the car.

"I'll sit in the front if that's alright." Mark said.

Mark had been given the task to look after his sister since they had been in elementary. He loved her more than anything and he promised to keep her safe. He kept true to his word, but even though he was sheltered throughout his childhood, he started to go to school in middle school. Rebecca stayed home. She grew up with, not only her parents, but also her brother keeping her away from the world. They all valued her and over protected her. She was used to not knowing much about anything but her studies. When she begged to go to high school, her parents finally allowed it. She kept close to her brother whenever she could and she kept quiet and hid behind him, using him as a shield against the rest of the world. People found her odd and creepy, because she had this weird way of speaking and biting her lips when she talked (a nervous habit) and because she was overly shy and only talked about her studies. When Kyle came across her, he expected an odd hermit of a girl, from what he heard, but was intrigued when he met her through science. To him, she was the most gorgeous girl he ever laid eyes on. He couldn't stop glancing at her constantly in class, and in the hallways. He decided he just _had_ to talk to her. That was on his sophomore year in high school. He tried to talk to her, but her brother kept interfering and giving him death glares. Then he got assigned with her in science through a lab. Most people just sat quietly back as they let her do all the work and they would socialize with their friends. Rebecca was presently surprised when Kyle actually put interest into doing the project. She was also shocked to see him show an interest in meeting her. He found her kind of awkward and deprived, but for some reason, that intrigued him further. It kind of made her a challenge to get to know. He once offered to carry her books to the library where they did the project and she agreed. She knew then at that moment that something might have been up. She had read in her stories once that a guy who liked this girl would always offer to hold her books. Innocently, she brushed it off as being silly, but something pestered her in her mind that had a sudden interest for Kyle in a mild manner. Kyle would continue to try and talk to her throughout the duration of high school. He ended up having English with her in his senior year, and he would try and trade books with her sometimes. He listened intensively as she talked about literature and physics and even medicine. He admired how much she knew about learning subjects. He also tried to tell her about the world. He told her about different kind of people, movies, places around the world, what was happening in the world, and even love. She had never heard any of this information before, and she listened closely at everything. Her vague interest peeked heights of infatuation in senior year. She didn't know how to deal with it, and she went to her brother for help. She didn't even know she had a crush on Kyle until the very end of her senior year. Mark, being informed of this, was even more protective of her and found ways to stop Kyle from barely ever talking to her. Kyle was afraid of him in the sense that he didn't want to start something in front of her.

"Sure… Yeah…" Kyle said. He went to open the back door for Rebecca, but Mark butted in and opened it for her, shooting Kyle a dark glare.

Kyle, a very quick tempered man, breathed in and out and counted to ten in his mind as he entered the car. He turned the ignition on and began driving.

"So, are you a safe driver?" Mark asked.

Kyle sighed almost annoyed. This bastard was even worried that Kyle would hurt his precious sister for fucking driving! He wanted to stop the car and kick the bastard out of it. "Walk to the diner if you don't want me to fucking drive!" Is what he thought. What he said was, "Yeah. I never had an accident or a ticket."

"That's good. I would like to l-learn how to drive one day…" Rebecca said, lowering her voice gradually at the mention of driving one day. She knew her brother didn't like the idea of her driving till she reached London.

"Maybe I could give you some hints." Kyle said.

"I think you should leave that priority to her parents. It isn't your job." Mark retorted.

Kyle clutched the driver's wheel hard and started to count to twenty this time.

"So… I-I like Wolfshiem so far. He's an interesting ch-character." Rebecca began.

"Oh, he is. You know, he's supposed to be Gatsby's role model of how a business man should act." Kyle said, trying to ignore the dark omen in the passenger's seat.

"Are his cufflink's really made out of human molars?" She asked Kyle.

"Yeah. He's a bootlegger. He wears that as a prize, kind of. Like… how do I explain it…? Like a trophy." He began.

"I don't know if I like you reading these dark books, Becky…" Mark said suspiciously.

"Oh… but… but it's not really all that dark." She said. "The main character's really nice and honest…"

"You mean Nick?" Kyle interfered. Mark scowled.

"Yeah. He's nice and honest, and he's also p-practical. He kind of reminds me of you a b-bit." She said sheepishly smiling towards him.

Kyle was taken aback a bit, and so was Mark. Kyle, like any other young adult who just got complimented by a girl who they liked, smiled like a cocky idiot while driving. "Uh, thanks."

Mark didn't like what was happening in front of him, and his anger began to boil harshly. "You know, Nick also fools around with Jordan. He kind of fools around with girls."

"Yeah, but after hanging out with the group he grows up and decides to settle down and ignore irresponsible people like Daisy, Tom, and Jordan." Kyle defended.

"After he led Jordan on?" Mark continued.

"He was falling for Jordan, but she was irresponsible and a liar. I don't see any irresponsible and lying females around here." He said, shooting an endearing look towards Rebecca. Rebecca smiled and looked away embarrassed and bashful.

"The whole book was ridiculous. Who the hell runs over a person and keeps driving! It's a stupid story." Mark said. "What a sore loser." Thought Kyle.

"W-what!" Rebecca said, looking hopeless and sad. "Someone gets r-run over!"

"Ugh… sorry. I didn't mean to spoil it…" Mark pouted as he looked out the window.

"Don't worry. I mean, you don't know who runs over whom. It'll be like a mystery now when you read it." Kyle said.

Rebecca nodded and smiled at him.

Mark shifted at his seat uncomfortably. He was unintentionally making Kyle seem like the good guy.

They parked at the diner's parking lot and went in. Kyle saw Kenny, Stan, and Cartman at the far corner. Kyle had a sad look in his eyes as he saw Cartman. He knew that the three of them were there to try and distract Mark, but he couldn't help but dread over the news Cartman had thrust upon everyone yesterday.

"I'll go and pick out a seat." Mark said, still brooding over the situation to the point of not realizing that he shouldn't leave Kyle and Rebecca alone.

"Isn't that y-your friends?" Rebecca said softly to Kyle. She recognized them because Kyle was always seen with them.

"Shh. Don't tell your brother. Hey. Would you mind if they distract him for a while? I was hoping we could walk to the pond, if that's okay with you." He said smiling adoringly down at her.

Kenny looked over at Kyle and laughed. "Would you look at that? Kyle's head over heels with that gal."

"Seriously, it's fucking annoying." Cartman said, looking intensely at the menu.

"Shut the fuck up, dickhead." Stan said, still holding a grudge from the news of yesterday.

"Up yours." Cartman sneered, without tearing his eyes from the menu.

Rebecca looked at Kyle and saw that he was serious and looking down at her in a way that sparked those butterflies in her stomach. She quickly looked down and started to bite her lips. "Um… I don't know… I… do you think he'll get mad?"

"I don't see why he should. You're eighteen. You're old enough to make your own decisions. I'm asking you… is that what _you _want? Do you want to hang out at the pond? Or do _you_ want to stay here with your brother. I'm fine either way." He lied at the last sentence. He was almost desperate to get rid of her brother.

She thought about it for a few seconds. She smiled contently and looked up while she said, "Can we eat first?" She said. Kyle chuckled lightly and nodded to his friends. His friends knew not to do anything until Kyle gave the okay signal. The okay signal was basically him pulling his right ear at them and suddenly sneezing.

Mark signaled over to them to come and they went along to the table. They sat down and ordered their food, all the while, Mark butting in the conversation to try and make Kyle look like the bad guy. Sometimes it didn't work, sometimes Kyle was too angry to answer. If he answered, he would end up beating the shit out of him… he didn't want Rebecca to see that. He ended up counting to 112 by the time they finished eating.

"So what now? We go home. It's five." Mark said.

"Don't we go back by seven?" Kyle asked.

"Yeah, but there's nothing else to do." Said Mark, wanting to leave as quickly as possible.

"We could sit and talk for a while, and then we could go to the skating arena." Kyle suggested.

"I don't know…" Mark said.

Kyle did the signal and Rebecca said 'bless you', unaware that the signal involved sneezing. Kenny stood up and approached Kyle.

"Hey! Man, what're doing here? I didn't see you this entire time!" Kenny said to Kyle.

"Ah… neither did I. When did you get here?" Kyle said, trying to play along.

"Actually, I just came here to see Mark. A friend of his told me he would be here." Kenny said.

"Um, okay?" Kyle said, winking at Rebecca. She tried to suppress a giggle as Mark looked at Kenny suspiciously.

"What do you want with me?" He said, eyeing him.

"I have a question about mechanics. See, I know you want to be an engineer, and I thought you'd know a thing or two." Kenny asked.

"Well, mechanics and engineering aren't exactly the same, but I do know mechanics well also." He began.

"Great!" Kenny said as he pulled onto his arm. "I need you to help me with my car. It's been acting funny, and you know I'm dirt poor. I can't exactly pay for it to be fixed or some shit." He said.

"Um…" Mark looked back at Kyle and Rebecca. "Gee, I don't know…"

"Come on, don't be a drag, man. You're like the only guy who I know who'd help me that I haven't slept with their girlfriend and they aren't pissed at me." Kenny reasoned.

"How long will it take?" Mark began.

"Dunno. Not long. I mean, I don't think it's that big, but I want to make sure. I don't want the thing to die on me!" Kenny said.

Mark sighed and stood up. He glared at me. "I'm watching you." He said lowly and darkly.

"Well, if you had ex-ray vision that would be sweet. The thing's parked in the back of the diner." Kenny said.

Mark growled. "God da-… I mean, shoot." He didn't want to curse in front of Rebecca.

When he left with Kenny, Kyle waited a bit until standing up. He looked over to his other two friends. "Thanks, guys! Tell Ken I owe him big time." He took Rebecca's hands. She nodded sheepishly in gratitude to them.

"Sure thing, pal." Stan said.

Kyle nodded to Cartman almost solemnly. Cartman took notice of that and scowled a bit. He didn't like the pity he got from Kyle and Kenny every time they laid eyes on him. At least he respected Stan for not showing an ounce of sympathy, though he didn't have to be a dick about it.

Kyle and Rebecca quickly walked to Kyle's car. They got in, Rebecca in the passenger's seat, and Kyle drove off.

Rebecca bit her lip nervously. "I-I've never done anything l-like this…" She admitted.

"Well, you trust me, right?" He asked her. She looked up at him and nodded. "Well, trust that I won't do anything to hurt you. If you get into trouble, just blame everything on me. I'll deal with it." He smiled.

She smiled back and said, "Thank you."

"So why're you going all the way to London if they won't let you go to a simple date with me?" He asked.

"Oh… because my m-mother went there for college. It's an all girl's college and my c-cousin will be there. She'll be watching over me. She's very strict and very much like my brother in that s-sense." She explained.

"Oh, that's good, I guess." He said.

They reached Stark's Pond and he parked. "Do you want to sit on the log and talk, or do you want to sit here where it's warm?" He asked her.

"I'd rather sit on the l-log…" She said.

"Are you sure?" He asked. She nodded and they got out and sat on the log next to each other.

"Um… you s-said you had a p-problem at my doorstep?" She began, remember what Kyle was going to tell her before Mark arrived.

"Oh…" He started to feel a bit uncomfortable. "I… my friend volunteered for the war." He said solemnly.

"The one who helped us d-distract Mark?" She asked.

"No… the fat one I always argue with." He said, trying to joke about it.

"Ah… why would he volunteer?" She asked.

He shrugged. "I don't know. He said we wouldn't understand. I honestly don't…" He continued.

"I don't like war… I don't g-get it. It doesn't make sense to m-me…" She voiced out.

"Well… I don't get it either. On some level I do though. They fight over land, resources, differences… power. I get that humans have this power complex and land must be divided but, I don't get why they can't share resources or just overcome differences." Kyle explained.

"Neither do I. M-maybe I just don't know much about it…" she reasoned.

"Maybe none of us do. We're not soldiers, or politicians. How are we supposed to know… what are we supposed to pretend to know?" Kyle said.

She shrugged. "H-hey, do you um… like me?" She asked.

He suddenly blushed at her direct approach. "Umm… like… romantically?" She nodded. "I wouldn't have asked you on a date if I… um… didn't, you know?" He said.

She smiled to herself and scooted closer to him. "Hey… h-how long have you liked me?" She asked.

He scratched the back of his head and chuckled a bit. "Um… for a while… since sophomore year." He admitted.

She looked up surprised. "That l-long?" He nodded, embarrassed and blushing. "I've l-liked you since last year…" She said, feeling somewhat guilty.

"It's okay. I mean, guys are supposed to do the courting, right? You just have to wait and be swept off your feet, right?" He asked.

She smiled. "I g-guess." She looked sadly at the pond. "I don't w-want to go to London." She admitted. "I don't want to go to an all girl's s-school and h-hide behind my cousin."

"Then don't." He said. "I'm going to California."

"What about c-college?" She asked.

"Honestly…" He sighed, not wanting to tell her at all, but feeling compelled to be honest with her. "I failed the admission test. I had the flu that day and I couldn't perform well. I'm not going to college till the fall." He admitted.

"That's o-okay. You were sick. T-that test doesn't c-count." She tried to comfort him.

He smiled at her. "You're really beautiful, you know that?"

She gasped slightly and blushed. She looked down and bit her lip. He took the liberty of gently brushing her cheek. She flinched back. Kyle quickly put his hand down. "S-sorry. I didn't mean to…"

She grabbed his hand before he set it down and brought it back to her face. "I j-just didn't expect it… that's a-all…"

He brushed her curly brown locks behind her ears and stared into her eyes.

"I wish you didn't have to go so far and so soon…" He said. "I finally got around to asking you out…"

A tear streamed down her eyes and she began crying. She laid her head against Kyle's shoulder. "I hate having to do what they want me to do…" She said. "I don't want to go to London. I want to stay here…"

"That would be nice…" He admitted. "But if it's better for your education, I'd like you to go."

She nodded. "But only if you really want to. It's your life, and it's your decision. You're an adult now, and you're responsible for yourself. If you think it's best for your education, then you should go… if you think that you'd rather stay here, then try and stand up to them. They might not understand you, but you do what you have to do." Kyle explained. "I mean, don't we, as citizens, have the right to pursue happiness?"

She laughed a bit, sniffling. "I guess… I… I'd have to th-think about it all though… for now… it looks like I'm going."

Kyle was struck with a nice idea, and he smiled at her comfortingly. "If you want, we could be pen pals."

She smiled back, wiping her tears. "R-really! We could really write each other l-letters?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Our teacher always said you were good at writing… I want to see that for myself." He said with a smile.

She beamed. "What w-would we write about?"

"About anything. About what we're doing and how things are going. You'd tell me about London and your cousin. If you want, about each other too." He said, still playing with her hair.

"About each other?" She asked, blushing.

"Yeah. I'd write about how much I would miss you." He admitted.

"Oh wow…" She said, putting her hands to her mouth and blushing bashfully. "I would like that very much…" She admitted.

"So what time do you leave?" Kyle asked her.

"Oh…" Her face grew sad thinking about it. "Next Friday."

Kyle frowned, thwarted by the close proximity of the day. "That soon?"

She nodded gravely. "Yeah… I have to settle down in London with my cousin." She explained.

"Oh… well, that's fine." He said.

She asked. "Hey, what time is it?"

He noticed the time, and it was half an hour till seven. "It's almost time to head back." He said sadly.

"W-when are you going to California?" She asked.

"In a week, probably the same day or so." Kyle said.

"So… you're g-going to do all those…"

"No. I'm not drinking, doing drugs… or fooling around." He smiled at her. "I'm just there to hang out with my friends. The one who volunteered might also go, and it's a chance to see him, just in case he… you know…" He was too afraid to say it out loud.

She nodded. "That's good… I m-mean the first part! Not the… s-second…"

Kyle laughed as he brushed her cheek. "I know. I get you." He suddenly turned serious. "Hey… I don't know if your parents will be too keen on letting me see you again after I pulled this little stunt, but… for the sake of… can I…" He was too bashful to say anything. She didn't understand what he was trying to say, and innocently she peered up at him in confusion. He began turning redder until he gathered the courage to say it out loud. "Can I kiss you?"

He widened her eyes and nervously looked away while biting her lips.

"I m-mean if you want to! You don't have to, it was just a suggestion. Of course, I… sorry, I shouldn't have asked that." Kyle ranted on embarrassed. He almost began to get up, but she stopped him by clutching to his shoulder.

"I… I w-wouldn't m-mind…" She said, her heart pounded a mile a minute. His pulse started to speed as well. He sat back down and sheepishly leaned into her. It's not like he hasn't done this before, I mean, he did so once or twice. He had a meaningless girlfriend in elementary, but it didn't mean much. He hadn't kissed anyone since. He was nervous because this kiss was the first one that actually mattered to him. This kiss was the first one that wasn't childish or careless. This one was real. So he leaned in slowly and tilted his head slightly. She waited with her eyes closed, her hand still on his shoulder, clutching his sleeve nervously and anxiously, anticipating her first kiss, ever. He finally made his way onto her lips and he had his hand cupping her cheek. It took a few awkward moments until they both became comfortable with the kiss and they started to kiss each other back. It probably lasted seconds, but it had felt like long minutes to them. They kissed with their mouths closed and pushing each other's lips with their own. It was simple and innocent, nothing heated, but it was enough for the both of them. It was sweet enough for the both of them.

When they separated, they had their foreheads pressed together. Her eyes where still closed and she still felt the touch of his lips linger on. She missed it already. Kyle's lids were half open, looking at her and taking in her face, one he considered beyond beautiful. His hand was gripping the back of her neck, his thumb right before her ear. Their hearts kept pounding in excitement. It was something so small, something so little; something so simple set their hearts about, a warmness and nervous happiness that swelled at their chests. They smiled at each other, baring their teeth in joy.

She snapped out of her euphoric state and her face turned to worry. "W-what time is i-it!" She suddenly yelled.

He looked at his watch and laughed. "Calm down, we still have a quarter till seven." He assured her. "Let's start heading out though."

She nodded and he helped her up. They held hands as they approached the car. They got into the car and he turned on the ignition and drove off.

"That was my f-first kiss…" She admitted softly, biting her lip nervously.

He smiled to himself. "I figured. Honestly, that was my first real kiss."

She looked at him. "What do you m-mean 'real first kiss'?" Rebecca asked him curiously.

"Well… I've kissed before, but that was when I was in elementary… it didn't really matter then. This one mattered." He said, smiling at her.

Throughout the ride, she asked him to give her those hints on driving he promised, and he did. He told her what the signals were for turning and what to do when you reached a stoplight and stop sign. He told her the trick on how to parallel park and drive a stick shift. He told her that the car he was driving was a 1964 Chevrolet Corvair. She listened intensely at everything and sucked in all the information, enthralled and engrossed in every word he had to say. She admired him deeply, and had developed a sort of puppy love towards him. She didn't know if it was all real or not, she wouldn't know the difference, but she knew that she liked him romantically and that she started to become almost charmed or enchanted by him. She didn't know how to deal with the sudden feelings that seemed like mini heart attacks and churning stomach aches. She felt her cheeks hot whenever he wooed her and she found herself wanting to look pretty for him and wanting him to like her back as much as she liked him. She found this entire thing new, fresh, and exciting. She even wore her nice clothes and pinned her hair with her favorite butterfly pin. Kyle, on the other hand, was almost under a spell with her. He wasn't interested in anyone else, and he couldn't understand why he found her so beautiful. Others found her average and simple, almost dull, but he found her challenging and coy. He didn't know how to explain it, but he thinks he's falling for her. He thinks he's falling for her hard and fast too.

When they reached her house, he parked on the side of the road. He turned off the ignition and she turned to him. "I had f-fun." She admitted.

He smiled contently. "So did I." He expected her to slip out of the car and move along to her house, but she hesitated slightly before leaning in for another kiss. She kissed him quickly, probably afraid her parents could see her, and she smiled at him before opening the car door and quickly scurrying to her house. He stared at her disappear into her house with an amazed grin. He laughed to himself lightly as he turned on the ignition and drove off to his house.

He had a taste of reality yesterday with Cartman, but he was again walking on cloud nine. Little did he know he would receive another slam into reality. This time more prominent and closer to home. Literally.

As he pulled over in his driveway, he saw Kenny McCormick staring sadly towards him. His eyes looked pleading and hopeless. Kyle felt a lurch inside his stomach as he turned off the ignition. His stomach felt like it was climbing up his throat, and he didn't know why. He knew though, that it had to do with the war. "Oh God… please don't let the war take Kenny too." He thought.

Unfortunately, he noticed that Kenny had an opened letter in his hands.

"Shit…" Kyle muttered under his breathe. "Shit, not you too…" He opened his car door and breathed in, ready to face a broken Kenny drafted and condemned to war.

**A/N:** **Oh my fucking God, sorry this is so God damn long. **


	3. Death Card

**Summary:** The story starts around the year of 1965 and ends around 1975. That's a little less than the time span of the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War (1961-1975). The four boys split in half with their opinions and stances in the war. Will they stay united or grow apart?

**Author's Notes:** This story was inspired by a WW2 war fan fiction of South Park and "Across the Universe", a great and wonderful but biased movie. Hey, at least it had the fucking Beatles painted beautifully everywhere in the form of an epic musical.

Sorry this took so long. I wrote about 6,000 or something words, but my computer turned off before I could save it and I couldn't recover the file… so I had to rewrite it. I like this version better, the other one was a bit too complex and very out of character for Sheila. I bet I all caught you by surprise, huh! By the way, insulin was becoming popular around the early 60s. Also, kidney transplants, the first successful transplants were sparking about in Kyle's youth. I hope you like this chapter!

Also, I want to make notice the passing of the legislation ObamaCare by the Supreme Court. I'm not going to dwell upon it with a long rant or speech, I'm just going to warn you all that I will be laughing my ass off when the bill comes back to bite us in the all in the ass.

**Chapter Three: Death Cards**

Kyle ran up to his friend. He glanced at the draft card on Kenny's hands and his pained expression. "Oh God, Ken… I'm so sorry."

Kenny chuckled sadly, much to Kyle's confusion, and stretched his hand, holding the draft card, towards Kyle. "It's me who should be sorry, kid."

Kyle felt a sudden punch of fear collide with his stomach. "W-what?" He felt himself grow pale and the world tip over. "Why are you giving me your draft card, Ken." It couldn't have been, right?

"Because it's not mine…" Kenny finally said.

Kyle glanced at his house. "Stan's in there, right? This is his draft card, _right_?" Kyle looked as though he were pleading for it, which made the guilt in his stomach churn violently. He felt like he was going to vomit as Kenny shook his head.

"No, Ky." Kenny said sadly, tears in his eyes as he looked to his friend. His voice broke as he said, "Why didn't you tell anyone you failed the admission test?"

Kyle almost tipped over as his vision twirled. Kenny caught him before he fell. "Come on, Ky. You're not making this any easier. Just breathe, kiddo." Kenny cooed, his voice breaking as he saw his friend overwhelmed with shock.

"I… I don't understand." Kyle finally said, his voice broken as well.

"Oh God, Ky, don't make me say it, just… just here." He handed the draft card to Kyle.

Kyle began to read it.

_**Selective Service System**_

_**Registration Certification**_

_**Last Name Color Eyes Color Hair**_

_Broflovski Green Red_

_**First Name Middle Name Height Weight**_

_Kyle N/A 5 ft 8 in 164 lbs_

_**Selective Service Number Date of Birth Social Security**_

_41 564 34 234 May 26 1949 567587329_

_**Place of Birth Date of Registration**_

_South Park, Colorado May 12 1967_

Kyle's hands shook as he read the card. He wanted to wake up from this nightmare. How did things end up this way? He was having such a swell time with Rebecca and things were going okay, but now… now he had a death sentence lurking behind him. This was like telling someone they had only a few months to live, which might not be such an exaggeration. He had the flu when he took the test, which wasn't his fault. It was something he was born with, being sick all the time that is. He had a kidney failure when he was nine and had a kidney transplant (when kidney transplants were just new), and he had diabetes (around the time where insulin had become convenient). He was born in such a period where his defects served as not as much problem to him as they used to before his time. Before when he was young, he'd have to go to the doctors every day for his insulin, but now, he could do it himself with the new home kits. He knew he was lucky for that, but he was still sick often. He would get the flu or fits of fevers around almost five to ten times a year. He was used to doing school work at home, and he had studied hard. For the last two or three years, his fits of fevers and catches of the flu started to dissipate to two to three times a year. He was beginning to upgrade on his health, if you will. Still, the day of the test, he had fallen quite badly. On a test he would have scored almost perfect, he failed by five measly points. That cost him college that semester. He figured he would have stayed in California with Stan until the spring admission test in fall. He would be in college by then… that is until his plans were ruined by this death sentence. He knew that the only way to escape the draft was college or luck of not getting picked. He had hoped he would have luck on his side. Unfortunately, he might never reach college and become a lawyer. He might never live past eighteen. On the brink of adulthood, and he might die.

"This… this isn't fair…" Kyle said breathlessly, looking up at Kenny from his draft card. _His_ draft card.

"I know, Ky. I just… I never thought you'd be the one to…" Kenny said, breaking off at the end.

"I don't… I don't want this…" Kyle continued.

"I know you don't, kid, but look, your folks are in there bawlin' their eyes out. Your old lady has been cryin' since three today and your old man is up in his study starin' at nothing." Kenny looked at the window, seeing Ike staring back at them with large, scared eyes. "Ike's scared. You need to talk to them. You need to stay strong, kid."

How did Kenny expect him to stay strong? He was chucked in front of a bullet by Uncle Sam and Kenny expected him to stay strong! Still, he knew he had to. If not for him or his parents, but for his little brother.

He began to walk solemnly to the door, all the while, remembering all the times he and his brother had fought.

"_Move, butthead." Kyle pushed his little brother off the couch, stealing the remote. He flicked through the channels shortly until his brother pushed him back. _

"_I was watching that, dip stick!" Ike yelled. _

"_You've been watching TV for almost three hours. You're going to burn your eyes out. It's my turn." Kyle insisted. _

"_God dammit, Kyle!" Ike growled. _

"_Beat it." Kyle said, pulling his arms back behind his head as he watched his show. Ike stood in place. "I said, 'beat it'." Kyle said. _

"_I know what you said! I'm not moving!" Ike argued. _

"_Ma said we gotta share the TV, so you've been watching for three hours. It's my fucking turn. My show's on." He said, getting irritated by the second. _

"_It's called a marathon, Einstein!" Ike shouted. "I need to watch it all, because there's a question at the end. You win a swell prize!"_

"_You think those contests are actually worth something? Let's say you do get picked and you answer the question right, well, that doesn't mean the prize is swell." Kyle reasoned. _

"_I still wanna try! Damn it, Kyle! You ruin everything!" Ike said, stomping away. _

Kyle thought back on that, on how they fought for stupid shit. On how they've been fighting since Ike entered junior high and Kyle entered high school.

"_What the fuck, Ike! What the actual fuck!" Kyle yelled in panic and seething anger as he kicked Ike's bedroom door open. Kyle had yellow hair, on account of Ike pulling another one of his famous pranks on him. Ike put mustard on Kyle's pillow while Kyle was sleeping. _

"_I think it's a good look on you, bro." Ike smirked, admiring his work. _

"_I'M GONNA FUCKING KILL YOU!" Kyle shouted in fury as he plunged towards his brother. Ike took off running down the stairs, Kyle after him. His mother, thankfully, stopped Kyle from committing murder that morning. _

Kyle smirked sadly at that memory. That was two years ago, and his hair was yellow for an entire week. He had to wear hats to school the whole time. He opened the door and Ike ran towards him, colliding himself to Kyle. The kid was almost thirteen at the time. Kyle embraced him back. His brother started to sob on him, clutching his older brother as if he were dear life. Kyle petted his brother's hair, shushing him softly.

"Shh. Calm down, everything's going to be alright." He soothed. "I'm going to be fine… I'll leave and come back with a lot of cool stories to tell you." Kyle said half-hearted. He knew he might not come back from war, and he knew if he did, there might not be a guarantee of coming back whole. All he could do was try and calm Ike down.

"You promise you're gonna come back!" Ike cried, looking at his brother with such hope and sorrow.

Kyle nodded slowly and hesitatingly. "I'm coming back. I promise. I don't have plans to die anytime soon." He joked sadly. Kyle was at Ike's level at the moment, kneeling down, and Ike threw his arms around his brother's neck and started to cry once again. His mother watched the whole thing from the kitchen. She had her eyes tainted in mascara and they were red from crying hard. Her hair was disheveled and her clothes had black blotches near the hem of her sleeve, probably from wiping her eyes. Kyle looked up at his mother and signaled for her to come and join. She ran to him and threw her arms around them both, squeezing and sobbing. Kyle made 'shushing' noises to soothe her too. Kenny was behind the door and witnessed the whole display. He was so proud of his friend there. Kyle had just been given the news that he had been drafted to war, and he still had it in him to comfort his family when it should have been the other way around. Kenny was also devastated. First Cartman volunteered for the war, and now Kyle was drafted. Everything was falling apart for Kenny. All he had left was Stan, and the hope that the two would come back safe.

Meanwhile, Stan was laying down on his bed, naked and covered by his blankets. Next to him was Wendy Testaburger, his long term girlfriend. They had dated since they were in elementary. It had been on and off till high school, when they went steady. Stan sighed as he stared upon the ceiling contently. He had almost forgotten about Cartman. He hated that fat bastard now. He couldn't believe that he wanted to go to war; that he wanted to actually be involved in the imperialistic slaughter of innocent and indigenous people who simply wanted their freedom from foreign rulers. He hated him. He hated him more than Kyle claimed to hate Cartman, and simply for the new found reason. He wasn't thinking about that though. He was thinking about Wendy. He turned slightly to see her face, soothed by sleep and satisfaction, and he smiled to himself. He ran his finger gently across her cheeks and pushed her long black hair away from her face and behind her ears. God, did he love her.

She spurred about. Letting a small 'nngh' from her mouth as she pushed her head into the soft pillows more. Little simplicities like this awed Stan. The whole world was boring and dull, mostly because it was predictable. This whole hippie, flower child thing, was new and fresh. It was freedom to him. Just to him. For once, he felt new and the colors were more vibrant, and his girl was all the more beautiful. The sun was setting gently, shying from the blazing pinks and purples and setting behind the melting mountains. He sighed contently.

Suddenly a call rang down his kitchen. He smiled to himself, seeming to believe nothing can ruin his good mood. He had a girl in one side and a vibrant vision to see his life in all possible directions. He slipped out of bed calmly and covered Wendy's breasts. He ran down the stairs feeling light and happy. He answered the telephone with a "Hello?"

"Hey… it's Ken." Kenny said nervously from the other line. "I need to talk to ya. You got time?"

"Sure, I have lots of time. Though, I am a bit tired, but not enough to not talk to my friend." He laughed.

"Shit… you seem in a good mood…" Kenny said, feeling guilty he was about to ruin it.

"It doesn't matter what you say, I'll stay this way." He smiled. "I mean, even if you mention that fat bastard, I promise to stay calm. Just spit it out."

"Um… it's about Kyle…" Kenny said, regretting to call Stan.

"Did anything happen in his date? Did Rebecca and him have a fight or something?" Stan asked, mildly worried, but his heart still light.

"Shit… Kyle probably wishes Rebecca slapped him hard in the face and kicked him to the curb. That would be easier to handle then this…" Kenny said.

"Um, Ken… you're starting to get me worried." Stan asked, his good mood wavering a bit. "Just… just spit it out."

Kenny sighed and rubbed his temples. "Kyle got drafted."

Stan laughed like it was the funniest thing he heard all day. "Ken, that's not funny. Seriously, spit it out."

"Stan, stop pretending your little rainbow colors of dancing in the moonlight naked while getting high is all there is to life. This is real fucking life… just… just hear me out…"

Stan felt a surge of anger rip out on him. It wasn't at all much about what Kenny had said, but mostly about the situation. He was angry at the war and the cause and the government, but mostly he was angry towards Cartman. He fixated his anger and hatred on him, and he didn't know why. "What the FUCK do you mean it's not fucking life? That's all there_ should_ be in life! Not this drafted crap!"

Wendy had come down when she heard Stan answer the phone. She was smiling at his profile as he talked on the phone. She wondered to herself how she could find someone like him. She wondered what made her so lucky. That was until he slammed the table and started screaming at the phone. She jolted back in a sudden shock. She wasn't afraid or was regretting her admiration, but she was worried as hell. Stan wasn't the kind to get upset over nothing. For him to get this upset, it had to be something critical.

"Stan, calm down." Kenny begged.

"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU ASK OF ME! FIRST TAKE A CHUG OF REALITY LIKE IT WAS A DRINK AND NOW I CAN'T FUCKING REACT ACCORDINGLY TO IT!" Stan shouted. Thankfully, no one was in his house besides Wendy.

"Not like this! Kyle needs your strength, God dammit! He's being strong for his fucking family, and we need to be fucking strong for him as his friends." Kenny yelled.

Stan threw the contents of his kitchen counter to the floor, causing Wendy to shriek. He turned to see Wendy stare back at him in alarm and confusion. He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, his elbow against the counter and his back leaning forward. He heard her walk towards him and she rubbed circles on his back for comfort.

"Stan… just hear me out." Kenny began. "Promise me that when you talk to Kyle… you'll be calm for him, because he needs a pillar, and we, as his friends, are his pillars. You, Cartman, and me."

"That fat bastard isn't his fucking pillar. He's his fucking earthquake, dumbass." Stan sneered.

The bitterness in his voice and insult stung Kenny. Kenny had to suck it in for now. He sighed. "Just fucking promise me that."

"I'll promise, but if only for Ky." Stan hung up with a slam. He ran his fingers through his head and, much to Wendy's surprise, began to hold back sobs.

"Stanley?" She spoke, worried. "What happened with Kyle?" He didn't answer. She took him by the shoulders. "Stanley…?" Still no answer. All he did was pull her into him by the waist and sob on her breasts, which were now covered by his shirt. She clutched at his neck and petted his hair. She didn't know what was going on, but she hated seeing Stan like this.

Kyle was on his bed, where he stared up at the ceiling. He sighed and stood up, walking across the hallway. He looked to the semi open door to the right, his father's study. He came closer and took a peak. There he saw his father's back, looking out the window, a bottle of vodka in one hand. Kyle knocked lightly on the door. Gerald turned around to see his son. He stumbled and almost knocked over another empty glass to the floor.

"Can I come in, Dad?" He asked.

Gerald nodded and signaled for him to come in. He coughed and tried to tidy up his desk and himself. Kyle stepped in and shut the door behind him. He took a fold chair from the side of the wall behind the door and propped it up in front of his father's desk. His father cleared his throat and sat down uncomfortably.

"So, I have about $7,000 in my checking account. How much do you think I would need to pay you in order to convict the murder of my dear Uncle Ferris?" Kyle began, leaning towards his father with a feigned expression of ultimate urgency.

His father furrowed his brow in utter confusion. "You don't have an Uncle Ferris, Kyle…" He said slowly, unsure of what to make by that comment.

"I don't _anymore_! He was murdered!" Kyle said. "And I know just the man who murdered him cold blood. I want you to persecute the man in court. I won't stand by while my Uncle's death is avenged!" Kyle said. Gerald simply looked at Kyle, questioning the boy's insanity. "Just say you'll take my money, Mr. Broflovski. I'd give my fortune to have the man put behind bars."

"Kyle… are you okay?" Asked Gerald.

"Of course not! I am in victim of the aftermath of this heinous crime. I have a witness, if you may. I would like to introduce him to you. He saw the whole thing through his house window." Kyle continued. He looked back towards the door. "Mr. Hellsringer, I need your assistance."

In came Ike, dressed in a little suit and tie. "Mr. Broflovski, I saw the whole thing! I want to testify against the murderer, even if my life will fall into danger!"

Gerald looked at his two sons and realized what they were trying to do. They were trying to cheer him up in their own little way. They were pretending have a case on their hands about a make believe murder in order to distract him. It was all a game of pretend. Gerald remembered the days when they used to play all the time. He remembered when Kyle played with his friends, carrying his little brother around everywhere because Sheila ordered him to. He remembered Ike laughing with his friends while winning street hockey. He remembered it all, and he smiled to himself that very moment. He knew that at that moment, they didn't want a drunken man wallowing in his own sorrow and grief for his oldest son… they wanted a father who would play with them.

He sighed and laughed to himself. "Well, you're going to have to tell me all you know about this case if I even have a chance at winning." Gerald said, playing along.

Kyle looked at his father and smiled. He was an adult now, fresh into life, but he was still a kid. That's probably why it all hurt so much. It was because he was still a kid. He was still a kid and he was being chucked into war. It wasn't fair for him, nor for anyone else who was forced into this. A draft is never a good thing. Still, he thought, if reality was coming to him too quickly, then he'd remain a kid for as long as he could. He'd keep playing the silly games he did when he was little, if it meant making more memories with his family until the time came for him to grow up completely. He thought back to his history lessons, and how brave men killed Nazis and how many poor Jews were taken into concentration camps. He thought of that bitter past his grandparents had to have gone through, and he realized he had it good. He had it good. He might die in a few weeks, but at least he had it good. He had the memories to prove it too. So he was going to make as much memories as he could, so that when his life flashed before his eyes, his eyes had something sweet to look at.

Later that day, night rose about, climbing darkness into the streets and houses. Only lit lights filled the neighborhood. Stan had gathered up the courage and strength to go to Kyle's house. Wendy had followed along.

Stan pulled over at Kyle's driveway and parked his Impala. He stepped up those front steps, squeezing Wendy's hand gently. She looked up at him and almost cried. He had a stern and tired look in his blue eyes. She wanted to cradle him kindly as she did back in the house where he broke into sobs. She couldn't stand seeing him this way. She wanted to comfort him, and at the same time, she wanted to comfort Kyle and herself. She would miss him too, and she would worry and fret over him as well. She was Kyle's friend, not as close as Kenny and Stan, but close enough for her to feel a large impact at the news. She just wanted to help.

The door opened as Stan knocked on it.

He saw Kyle with a wide smile. He looked at him in confusion. For a moment he swore Kenny had been lying or joking.

"AHA! Dr. Kripspringer! I need you to explain to the jury why the killer _had_ to be Mr. McCormick!" Kyle said tugging Stan and Wendy in. "You may bring in your lovely nurse as well!"

Wendy and Stan looked utterly confused as they glanced around the room. A couch was filled with pillows of all sizes dressed in shirts and hats. There were two long tables in the middle of the room. One table had Gerald sitting down, turning his head to the two in a sad smile. The other had Kenny and Ike. There was a podium in the middle and standing behind it was Sheila, with a small cooking mallet in one hand.

"What's going on?" Wendy asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry to have called you both at such a short notice. You see, my dear Uncle Ferris was murdered by that fiend!" He pointed at Kenny, who had a leather jacket and dark sunglasses on. He had his hair slicked back and a lollipop stick he pretended to use as a cigarette. Not that he didn't smoke, oh he did, but he didn't dare do so in Kyle's house. Kenny had his feet up at the table, playing the part of a really horribly acted bad boy villain. "This is my lawyer; he is helping me convict him. This is the wonderful jury who happen to be involved in this case." He pointed first to his father, and then to the couch full of pillows dressed in clothes.

"Flattery won't help ye, bucko." Kenny said, trying to play his part. "I gots a feelin' ye are just tryin' to kiss butt to the jury, ya see. Kissin' butt won't bring back yer dear old Uncle, kid."

"What you say, you sniveling coward!" Kyle yelled back at Kenny, a smile playing on his face. This was the most fun he had in a while. It was being ironic.

Sheila banged her cooking mallet on the podium. "Order! I want order in the courtroom. I won't have any of this banter allowed here."

"My doctor would like to explain the procedure of how science explains how the murder was committed." Wendy spoke aloud. Stan did a double take on her. She realized what was happening around here, and she let a tear fall from her face, wiping it immediately before looking at Kyle. Kyle looked at her and nodded in gratitude. Stan, on the other hand, didn't understand what was happening. He was growing angrier by the minute.

"I think you should have a word with Dr. Kripspringer before preceding the explanation." Kyle said gently to Wendy. He knew Stan, and he knew Stan would break the entire game. He didn't want it to end now. Everyone was having so much fun to begin with.

"I thinks ya stallin'!" Kenny complained as Wendy tugged Stan into a corner.

"What the fuck is going on here!" Stan growled at her.

She wiped another tear shedding down her cheek. "They're trying to have fun…" She answered, almost pleading to Stan to play along.

Stan looked at her and back at the group, almost offended. Kyle was staring at Stan, clinging on to some hope that he'll join. He was let down. Stan sighed and shook his head. He stepped out of the house and paced to his car. As he got in, he leaned his head against the reel. Wendy wanted to run after him to convince him, but she knew her place. Her place was with Kyle and Kenny and everyone else. She had to give him space to deal with things on his own. She wasn't his mother, and she wasn't his wife. She was his girlfriend. He's a big boy, and he should learn to make his own mistakes. With that in mind, she turned to the group, looking almost sad that their pretend game was cut off.

"The Doctor is feeling under the weather at the moment. I will be taking his place in explaining the ordeal." She proceeded, stepping forward in front of the judge, Sheila. Everyone smiled sadly. Kyle mouthed a 'Thank you' to her and sat down.

"Proceed on, Nurse Gwendolyn." Sheila said.

"If all the witnesses claiming to see Mr. McCormick aren't valid enough, then maybe the evidence will be!" She said dramatically as she turned to the jury. "Mr. McCormick had to be the culprit because we found his hair on the wounds!"

"Mr. McCormick, your alibi does not match you being anywhere near the body at the time of the murder or even afterwards. How do you explain this treason! Under oath, I remind you!" The judge questioned Kenny.

Kenny slammed the table and stood up. "I dids it! I admits it! What're ya gonna do now! Eh?"

"Aha!" Kyle said, pointing at Kenny.

"Jury, what do you say of such a crime. Do you find the offender guilty!" Sheila said, turning to the couch. There was a moment in pause. "They find you guilty!"

"DEATH SENTENCE!" Ike yelled with laughter.

At that moment, the door upstairs was slammed open and down the stairs came Cartman with a ski mask one his face and a plastic sword on his hands. "Where is my victim?" He bellowed.

Wendy, momentarily shocked, started laughing hysterically. The others, besides Cartman, joined in.

"What!" Cartman asked, offended. "What! I'm not intimidating!"

"You're such a loser!" Kyle laughed.

"God dammit! I'm not playing anymore!" Cartman said, taking off the mask and trudging upstairs.

Meanwhile, Stan heard the laughter inside. He regretted for a minute not joining in, but he felt compelled to keep a level head. He felt they were taking the situation too lightly. He felt they were living in denial, all the while not understanding the situation. He was wrong though. They all understood it perfectly. They just were trying to cope… in their own innocent and nostalgic way.

War in general is harsh and cruel, for all those affected by it. It grinds against the participants like cheese graters, shredding away not only their parts and lives, but as well as their families. There was an act of great evil playing on the doorsteps of this war. The devil was caught somewhere beneath it all, playing the people like puppets. Despite it all… no one knew for sure which side the devil played in. Still, one thing was for sure. He played them all hard.


End file.
